On Sat, Aug 2, 2008 at 9:20 PM, Curtis Sandoval <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Anyway, I wondered if there were any efforts to develop a Linux like > OpenBSD or similar that was all but impenetrable and could run > on minimal resources to produce an open-source and secure > platform for banks ...
Not that I don't like the thought, but I think you're missing some key aspects of the situation: 1. Most of the insecurities around cash machines stem from poor understanding of security issues at the application layer. The OS is almost irrelevant. It's not like Windows XP or Linux have cash dispensing routines. (Windows tends to consume cash, not dispense it, hah hah.) 2. Historically, banks have depended almost entirely on physical methods and isolation for security, not higher level protections. ATMs do typically resemble a strong box or bank vault, so this isn't entirely an unrealistic approach. 3. "minimal resources" isn't the concern these days. Hardware is cheap. Banks are most concern with the organization which is providing the equipment and software -- the level of support they can provide, and their established reputation. Fundamentally, banks function based on reputation; this leads them to be very suspicious of newcomers. Simply throwing Linux at the problem isn't likely to work. -- Ben _______________________________________________ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/